Also known as Sadoine or Mecca Stone and sometimes spelt Carnelian, the name is derived from the Latin world for flesh, “Carne”, due to the gems’s coloring.
 

A deeply religious gem, Cornelian was used by the Egyptian goddess Isis to protect the dead on their journey through the afterlife.
 

Cornelian is mentioned in the bible as being one of the “Stones of Fire” (Ezekiel 28:13-16) given to Moses that featured in the breastplate of his brother and high priest Aaron (Exodus 28:15-30) and is also one of the twelve gemstones set in the foundations of the city walls of Jerusalem (Revelations 21:19). As compiled by Andreas, Bishop of Caesurae, one of the earliest writers to tie the Apostles with the symbolism of the twelve gems of Jerusalem, it is the symbol of the Apostle Philip.
 

Popular in ancient Greece and Rome for intaglio (i.e. a gem carved in negative relief) signet rings; the Romans symbolically associated dark colored Cornelian with men and light colored Cornelian with women.
 

Cornelian has been recommended for those with bad memories, creative blocks, befuddled minds, weak voices and a lack of courage. It is said to be beneficial in treating impotence, infertility, insomnia, menstrual cramps, neuralgia, rheumatism, asthma, bad blood, lethargy, digestive problems, and skin conditions like acne and psoriasis in both humans and animals. Cornelian is also believed to help hotheaded people overcome anger and establish self-control, and was even believed to protect the wearer from envy and falling objects.